A rather wanderlust fellow before he latched onto acting, Denver Pyle--who made a career of playing drawling, somewhat slow Southern types--was actually born in Colorado in 1920, to a farming family. He attended a university for a time but dropped out to become a drummer. When that didn't pan out he drifted from job to job, doing everything from working the oil fields in Oklahoma to the shrimp boats in Texas. In 1940 he moseyed off to Los Angeles and briefly found employment as a . He died of lung cancer at age 77.
Brother of animator Willis Pyle and cousin of Ernie Pyle.
Was originally cast to play Matt Dillon on "Gunsmoke" when James Arness turned down the first request to audition for the role.
Received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California just two weeks before his death. Despite his weakened condition, caused by the cancer that would eventually kill him, he managed to attend the ceremony.
His middle name was "Dell", the name of his parents favorite city.
While working with John Wayne on The Alamo , Wayne became impressed with Pyles photography and made special arrangements with his public relations office to designate Pyle as the official set photographer for the picture.
Best known for his role as Uncle Jesse Duke on the television series "The Dukes of Hazzard" .
During World War II, he enlisted in the United States Navy, was wounded in the battle for Guadalcanal and received a medical discharge in 1943.
His mother lived to 104 and his brother lived to 102.
Met James Best in the movie The Left Handed Gun . Some 21 years later, he would later co-star, opposite him on "The Dukes of Hazzard" , as his sheriff.
Best friends with James Best from 1958 to 1997.
Has the distinction of playing the last murder victim in the original "Perry Mason" series (and in the same episode, "The Case of the Final Fade-Out", Masons second-to-last client).
His brother was Willis Pyle, animator and painter who drew Bambi and Pinocchio for Walt Disney studios and died at the age of 101 on 21 June 2016.
Although he played O.Z. Whitehead s father in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance , he was nine years his junior in real life.
